ABSTRACT
Withitsdecisionof3June1992thatAustraliawasnotterranulliuswhensettledbythe
Britishin1788,theHighCourtofAustraliarewroteAustralia'slawontheimpactof
colonisation.ThecasehasbecomeknownastheMabocase,Mabobeingthenameofthe
Aboriginewhobroughtthequestionofownershipoflandbeforethecourt.Theimplications
ofthischangeinthecommonlawarepotentiallyvastandnolessthanrevolutionary(Sanders, 1994:1).Theprofoundsignificanceofthisdevelopmenthasalreadybeenacknowledgedby governments,bythemedia,byindigenouspeopleandbythepastoralandminingindustries
(ATSIC,1993).TheMabocasehasbecomeaturningpointinwhite-blackrelationsin Australia,asitaddressesfundamentalquestionsabouttheownershipofAustralia,thenature
ofindigenoussocietiespreviousto1788,thelegalityofdispossessionofAboriginallandand
theplaceofAboriginesinthewiderAustraliansociety,nowandinthefuture.InthispaperI
firstgiveabriefhistoricaloverviewoftheAboriginalstruggleforlandinthelastthirtyyears
andexplainthebackgroundandimpactoftheHighCourt'sdecision.Ithenconcentrate
brieflyonsomeimplicationsoftheMabodecisionandparticularlyaddresstherelationship
betweenlandrightsandeconomicdevelopment.FinallyIdiscussthechangingperceptionsof
indigenouskeyconcepts,suchas'people','country'and'traditionallaw'.Iparticularlyfocus
ontheproblemoftranslatingtheseconcepts,whichareflexibleandconstantlyshiftingin
Aboriginalthoughtandexperience,intoatotallydifferentkindoforientation,e.g.Anglo-
Australianlaw,withemphasisootheopposite:fixity,absolutenessandsystemacy(terms borrowedfromMerlan,1997:13).
